Anne Bradstreet was one of the most famous Puritan authors of her time. Anne Bradstreet dedicated herself to writing whatever she wanted to show her personal thoughts, emotions, and experiences. This will be shown in relation to how she grew up in a home that supported female literacy and how she grew up with her poems through Puritan colonial society. Anne Bradstreet's poetry challenges the traditional role of women in the 17th century while adhering to her Puritan beliefs. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay As a Puritan, Anne Bradstreet strove to live her life according to Calvinist doctrine while having to deal with the struggles of her human condition. When Bradstreet's house burned down, she was struck by the reality of life's hardships and was presented with the opportunity to do one of two things. If she were to give in to her humanity and allow the loss of her worldly wealth to overwhelm her, she might blame God and turn away from Him. If she let her soul prevail over that humanity, she might embrace the Puritan belief that God is still good and that she has a greater treasure awaiting her in heaven. In this he was able to get closer to God, having learned to let go of his earthly possessions. Bradstreet struggles with herself for a while, but eventually comes to a place where she accepts the loss of her material possessions and has her focus realigned on what truly matters: her relationship with God. When Bradstreet Leaves realized his house was on fire, his first response was to immediately cry out to God the moment he first saw the flames when he said, "I, as I set out, the light shone, / And to my God my heart cried" (Bradstreet l.7-8). The thought of blaming or getting angry at God doesn't seem to even cross her mind. He immediately recognizes God's sovereignty and the fact that this tragedy cannot be survived without His strength. She implores God to “strengthen her in [her] anguish / and not leave her helpless” (“Burn” 9-10). Bradstreet is scared, as any human being would be in this situation – whether Puritan or not – but the importance of this circumstance is how Bradstreet responded to that fear. It is evident from the beginning that she is a faithful follower of God as she instinctively cries out to Him, even in the midst of this horrible and unexpected tragedy. Immediately after his cry of fear and uncertainty, Bradstreet seems to calm down a bit and even begins to praise God, saying, “I bless his name which he gave and took” (“Burn” 14). Bradstreet demonstrates great faith in God from the moment he first sees the flames, and from this it is evident that he sincerely believes in Puritan doctrine. She was not the least bit angry at God, because she recognized that everything she owned “was His, it was not [hers]” (“Burn” 17). In this, Bradstreet is even grateful that God did not take everything from her, but left her with her family and enough to survive. He states that he could have taken any amount of her things and she still would not have been angry with Him, because it would have been His right to take whatever He saw fit (“Burn” 19-20). After line 20, however, the tone changes again from its faithful, hopeful optimism to a sense of strong lament. Bradstreet describes walking near her old home and being reminded of the pain of loss she experienced in the fire (“Burning” 21-22). . Although he knows, as a believer in God, that those things should have little value, he admits that he still struggles every day with the sadness he feels about having them.lost. At this point she seems much less convinced of God's goodness, even if she doesn't say so openly. The reasons she gave for praising God and being joyful at first seem to lead to her being much less comforted now that she comes face to face with the physical loss she has suffered. Bradstreet shows the extreme difficulty she is experiencing in letting go of her worldly possessions as she describes with detailed pathos everything she misses so much about that home (Mooney). He talks about a wide range of earthly treasures that he regrets losing, from the emotional richness of laughter and entertaining guests, to his material wealth or his "pleasant things" ("Burning" 23-36). In the midst of her sadness, however, she seems to come back to herself and the reality of what she knows her view of life and the human condition as a Puritan should be. Bradstreet begins to chastise himself for keeping his worldly possessions in reserve. such a high value. His inner battle is made evident when he angrily asks: And has your wealth remained on earth? Have you set your hope in moldy dust? Has the arm of flesh placed your trust? (“Burn” 38-40) She knows that she should consider no treasure greater than hers in heaven, and she seems frustrated with herself for having such difficulty letting go of what she lost in the fire. She then begins to think about what really matters to her, telling herself to “raise [her] thoughts above the sky” (“Burning”41). After these encouraging words to herself, Bradstreet seems to change her perspective as she returns to talking about God and what He has blessed her with. Bradstreet is joyful again, focusing again on what he has in God: Thou hast a house above, Framed by that mighty architect, with richly furnished glory, remains permanent though this one has fled. (“Burn” 43-46) It is obvious at this point how superior he feels his heavenly wealth is compared to the material possessions he lost in the fire. It seems that Bradstreet now realizes the value and purpose of this seemingly tragic incident: he turns his attention away from the "mists of manure [that] may fly away" ("Burning" 42) and realigns his gaze upon his heavenly treasure. It seems that at this point in her poem, Bradstreet is experiencing the revelation that she had no need of the things she had lost in the fire, because her Lord, the "mighty Architect" ("Burning" 44), has prepared for her an infinite treasure . most precious in heaven, and "there is wealth enough, [she] needs no more" ("Burning" 43-51). Bradstreet's poem describes the vivid contrast between worldly and heavenly treasure, while also illustrating the problems a depraved human has letting go of worldly riches. He admits that he placed too much hope and invested too much time in his worldly wealth, and then a catastrophe occurred that swept everything away. He knows that he will not have to face the loss of those things, because they were only meant to be temporary, and although it may be difficult to say goodbye to his "pelf...[e]...store" ("Burning" 52), he knows that this is what God wants you to learn to do. Bradstreet seems to recognize that the fire was ordered by the hand of God, yet she does not consider herself treated unfairly and does not feel angry or bitter towards him for it. Indeed, Bradstreet appears to view the fire as a blessed sign from God, alerting her to the value she had placed on her material possessions and saving her from continuing to do so. Bradstreet is suddenly very aware that the treasure one has on earth is temporary and unstable (“Burning” 52). Understanding this, Bradstreet remembers the only treasure that is not temporary, but eternal. The one eternal treasure that is worth far more than any such rubbish you can get.” 52-54)